GLOBAL GYPSY
Paula Hagiefremidis

 

Being a global gypsy means.....
Looking at the world through the lens of curiosity and wonder. And following that curiosity wherever it may wish to take you, and trusting in that completely, as it’s the very thing that allows you to experience being completely awake to life.

Current Location
Melbourne, Australia

Occupation
I like to call myself a “passionate creative”, I realise however that’s a little vague - what that actually translates to for me is: I’m a writer, creative facilitator, mentor and speaker.

Passions
Everything that I have been invited to experience of my passions has been driven by what I’m offered through my business Mediterranean Wanderer. From my love affair with writing, to the experience of hosting my creative retreats on the Greek islands, being invited to present as a guest speaker at events across Australia, workshops, and facilitating, our passions are often an expression of what we are in alignment with when we are doing what we love.

Beauty & Style Tips
I always take herbal teas with me on the plane. I don’t eat airplane food and instead always drinks lots of fluids to stay hydrated. I always turn off the air vent above my head (an odd tip, I know, but its purpose is to inhibit breathing in everybody else’s recycled air), and I wear comfortable shoes, like sneakers, with the laces undone so my feet get good circulation. I regularly stretch and walk up and down the aisles of the plane to keep the flow of blood moving.

Spirit Animal
I’ve never felt the pull to any particular spirit animal, but horses are my favourite animal, so I would have to lean towards the horse.

Dream Destination
Florence has always had a very big place in my heart having visited when I was younger. I would love at some point, to spend some extended time there. But the place that is calling me right now – and has been for the last little while is New York. There has been a pull to go there for some time already and I’m feeling a nudge in that direction that’s quite unexplainable and I know is beyond the purposes of going on a “holiday”.

Advice you would give your teenage self
Trust yourself more.

Name one experience that pushed you beyond your limits
2015 was the year that truly defined the trajectory I’m on right now. It was the best and worst year of my life. Despite the brutality of it, I owe everything about where I am at right now, and the direction it led me, to that year. In the space of 6 months I lost an immediate family member, left an 11 year relationship, packed up 8 years of my life living in what’s arguably the most sought-out location in Australia – Byron Bay, left behind a very cushy and successful life, walked away from a business I’d joined my partner in starting with his family, and returned to Melbourne and started from absolute scratch. Sitting in the debris of such enormous loss – on all levels – emotionally, financially, was the very thing that allowed me to reconnect with my passion and take the next steps to pursue the path that had always been waiting for me. The force of that push was the very thing that shot me back to life. 

Most-prized Souvenir
My coffee coloured Argentinian leather jacket. I have never seen a leather jacket quite like it. The minute I laid eyes on it, it literally triggered something in me. I knew I’d just found something very special. I am in awe of it in a way that surprises me to know clothing could have such a profoundly deep affect in you. All these years later, that awe has not worn off. Each time I look at it or wear it, I feel its mystery - a kind of energy or presence about it, and even saying that, I know must sound so strange. Few pieces I own evoke that kind of feeling in me to that degree. I guess that’s the effect of true craftsmanship and for me, speaks to the passion of the person who made it and that their creative energy is still living in the fabric of that garment. I feel very lucky to own it and am forever grateful to the special soul who gifted it to me.

Next for Paula 
Continuing my creative journey with my business Mediterranean Wanderer. The decision to do what I love has taken me on the greatest ride of my life. I am forever grateful at the pathway that’s opened up for me as a result of taking a chance and pursuing my passion and being constantly reminded how close I came to missing out on this entire other world that was waiting for me, because I let my fear of taking the next step, hold me back.

Complete the sentence: "I travel to... 
be immersed completely in the awe and wonder of what being in a foreign place offers, and the value those experiences serve to have in continually enhancing and cultivating our creative life, personal life, and fuelling our passions."